Discussion: Team trials: Which airport?

Newark and Philly are about equi-distant. What does local knowledge suggest?

A sophisticated traveler might try http://www.lvia.org/

Otherwise, it's hard to say, but I think it is often easier to get in and out of Philly more quickly than EWR.

Thanks. Turns out that Philly is cheaper too. Air fares seem high this spring.

The crude oil price seems high as well :)

Tom, I disagree with J-man, I find Newark to be much easier to get in and out of than Philly. Newark has been doing a lot of construction the last couple of years and has made a number of improvements. Once on the ground at Newark you get onto I-78 West right outside the airport and it is a straight shot into PA and the Team Trial venue is right off the third exit in PA, about an hour and a half drive depending on how fast you drive and it is all highway driving. From Philly you have to get on I-95 S to I-476 N which becomes apart of the PA turnpike system, take 476 to the Quakertown exit to PA Rt. 663 north to PA Rt.309 north to I-78 and then there are a couple of ways to get to the venue from there, I'm not sure which one the Event director is going to use. This way is also about a hour and a half drive depending on your driving but there is a lot more chances for errors and traffic problems depending on the time of day you arrive. Also your choice of airports depends upon your travel plans; are you coming a day or two early to do some sightseeing in Philly or if you are just coming for the O event. Also anyone making flight arrangements for the event should remember that monday is Memorial day and the end of a 3 day holiday weekend the first of the summer a big thing in our area. Getting to the Philly airport could be rather tricky monday night as I-95 is a very popular route for travel to and from the NJ and DE beaches and can become a parking lot rather quickly. Also I-476 or the PA northeast extention of the PA turnpike is the best way to and from the PA mountains another popular spot for the holiday weekend, so plan for plenty of time to get to the airport or leave on Tuesday morning for less of a problem getting to the airport in Philly. I-78 will be busy too but is not a popular route for any resort that would be popular for the holiday weekend. I hope I have given you a better idea of what you can expect flying into this event. Philly might be cheaper but Newark could turn out to be a better choice in the long run, in my opinion.

All that may be true; I was just thinking of getting out of the airport itself and onto the highway. Anecdotally, I've had better luck doing that from Philly.

I can say that the drive on 78, at least when you get west of 287, is almost always good.

Anyway, the closest airport is undeniably ABE and there are sometimes deals in and out of there. Like to OH.

Yes the Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton airport the old ABE, now Lehigh Valley International, LVI is the closest airport but I find the deals in and out of there to be few and far between. If the price is not a problem and convience is the prime need then LVI is the Best for sure. IF the price is the prime factor than I think most will find the best deals at either Philly or Newark and there are rental cars at all of the airports. If you don't want to rent a car, you can get into Bethlehem and Lehigh University with public transportation and it is a very short ride as the university is very close to the airport. The DVOA event director will be posting this info to the event site shortly. Once at the university, I'm sure it would be easy to arrange for rides to the places you need to go for the event. The Event director is an employee of the university and will be able to answer any question you might have about getting to and from the universitty and what all is available within walking distance so don't be afraid to ask for any help you might need.

Is there a tentative schedule for the events? I'd like to know if flying in Saturday morning is ok? Since the sprints will be a WRE, this means my start time will be inflexible.

Very tenatively first starts will be 1-2 PM on Sat. Very tenatively there will be a model event sometime before that, possibly on a different section of the area. There will likely be a walk to start, possibly, tho less likely, busses. There are alot of moving parts here, and people working on a schedule/web page as we speak.

Thanks Randy! I appreciate all the info, even if it's very tentative.

I'm still going to fly in Friday night to avoid a repeat of last year...